About Green Build Advisors

Our Green Building Advisors

Aaron Adelstein

Aaron Adelstein is the executive director of the Built Green program of King and Snohomish Counties, a certifier of environmentally friendly single family homes, multi-family projects, remodels and developments in Washington State.
Built Green, named 2007 Green Building Program of the Year in 2007 by the National Association of Home Builders, is one of the most successful green building certification programs in the U.S. with more than 700 member companies and 13,000 projects certified.
Aaron has an M.S. in environmental policy from the University of Montana where he specialized in environmental advocacy strategies and trends in the Green Building Movement.
He is currently serves on the Energy Efficiency and Green Buildings Implementation Working Group as part of Governor Christine Gregoire’s Climate Change Challenge, the Seattle/King County Workforce Development Council’s Industry Skill Panel on Green Jobs, and the City of Seattle Green Building Task Force.

Dennis Allen

Dennis Allen is president of Allen Associates, a general contracting firm, specializing in environmentally-friendly, custom residential building. The company has won numerous local, regional, and national awards for the quality, beauty, and environmental awareness of its projects.

Dennis is active in community organizations: The Sustainability Project, the Green Building Alliance, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the Santa Barbara Contractors Association. He serves on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the Community Environmental Council. Currently as President of the Bren Graduate School Dean’s Council at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he is heavily involved in efforts to infuse sustainability into campus curriculum and buildings. For the past 10 years, he has served as a consultant on the County’s Innovative Building Review Committee, a committee that encourages energy efficiency and sustainable practices in building projects. He created the Parade of Green Buildings, an annual event that exhibits the best local examples of green building to the public.

David Barrett

David Barrett established his architectural practice – BARRETT STUDIO architects – over 30 years ago intent upon designing site specific architectural solutions for a planet under stress. Exploring the interaction between our planet and the built environment, and analyzing & mitigating the implications thereof, has become a cornerstone of David’s practice. From early, experimental solar houses in the 70’s to zero energy homes and communities, David’s architecture seamlessly melds a balance of low-tech and high-tech sustainable solutions. Time tested vernacular techniques such as passive solar siting and design, or strawbale construction, are initially integrated, providing low or no cost measures to achieve energy and resource conservation goals. Sustainable technologies such as active solar, geothermal, and other sustainable materials & systems are then layered into the design to attain even higher goals.

Barrett’s expertise in deep green design has parlayed itself into an extensive portfolio of custom homes, educational facilities, places of worship, commercial & mixed use buildings, additions & interiors, and urban / community design. His studio’s communication-based approach has led to successful projects with clients who have specialized intentions, such as Waldorf School facilities. This listening & relationship based design philosophy results in meaningful projects specific to both client and site/climate.

Andrea J. Grant (AJ)

Twenty years ago Ms. Grant founded Environmental Communications Associates, Inc. (ECA), a marketing communications company that specializes in managing sensitive issues in the public arena. ECA hosts an interdisciplinary team of specialists in the fields of marketing communications, business management, public policy and environmental sciences. Serving government, non-profits, and Fortune 500 clients, AJ is well known for her expertise in environmental issues, marketing communications, strategic planning, public outreach, media relations and crisis communications.

AJ was a pioneer in environmental marketing, with clients such as Good Housekeeping, Ministry of Lands and Parks, British Columbia, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Lockheed Martin, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Honda North America, Alfalfa’s Market, Rocky Mountain National Park, US Green Builders Council (LEEDS rating system), among
others. Ms. Grant is well known by both environmental and business communities nationwide, and offers a strong foundation for managing cross-sector controversial environmental issues.

Currently AJ is the Chief Green Officer of Big Green Company – an educational entertainment company dedicated to inspiring wholesome lifestyles for children and their families through entertainment and associated products. Its first brand, the Big Green Rabbit (BGR). Is a 2X Emmy-nominated (Heartland Emmy) public television show (now in over 30 million homes with a dynamic web and youtube presence for children and their families. (biggreenrabbit.com). Big Green Rabbit aspires to be the next great children’s icon reflecting today’s ‘green’ values about the connection between healthy bodies and a healthy planet.

David Houghton P.E.,

Principal Engineer and President of Resource Engineering Group has acted as engineer-of-record for over three hundred building projects, including multi-family and multi-house developments, large and small commercial spaces, schools, laboratories, hospitals, resorts, and industrial plants. He the author of over two dozen technical papers and journal articles. His publications have received awards of excellence and distinction from the Society for Technical Communication. Formerly with E SOURCE and the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Energy Program, his work has included co-authorship of comprehensive books on HVAC and lighting efficiency opportunities., Mr. Houghton received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with Honors from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a member of ASHRAE, an Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) Certified Energy Manager, and is a licensed professional engineer in the States of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Oregon.

Mark LaLiberte

Mark was a spokesperson for the Ad Council’s Energy Hog Campaign, and has appeared as a guest expert on numerous radio and television programs, including TLC’s Home Pro and Home Savvy series and PBS Hometime. Mark has helped to create the program curriculum for the Houses That Work™ program, an educational series sponsored by the Energy & Environmental Building Association (EEBA). He has also served in an advisory capacity on the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Program, the DOE Building America Program, and the Minnesota Energy Code Advancement Project. Mark also consults with major manufacturers, utilities and non-profit agencies throughout the country. At the 2002 EEBA Conference, he received a lifetime achievement award for his long-standing commitment to helping the home construction industry embrace building science.

Hunter Lovins

A worldwide recognized leader in helping companies and communities profit from more sustainable practices, Hunter Lovins has authored and co-authored numerous books, including Brittle Power (1982), Energy Unbound (1986), Factor Four- Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use (1997), Green Development (1998), Natural Capitalism (1999), and hundreds of papers and articles. She was named as a Time magazine Hero for the Planet in 2000.

Hunter has consulted for governments and the private sector, briefing senior management such at such groups as Interface, Mitsubishi, Bank of America, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and numerous utility companies. She is a founding Professor of Business at Presidio School of Management.

David Lupberger

David Lupberger draws on more than two decades of experience in the residential remodeling field to work with remodelers in developing proven business systems. Through his work in the remodeling industry, he hopes to redefine the way the remodeling industry operates so that the trust between quality Remodelers, their customers, suppliers, and trade contractors can be leveraged and improved.

Lupberger believes fervently that the best customer service only comes when a remodeler can deliver consistent results, which happens only with proven systems. He spent nearly 4 years writing the Remodelers Turnkey Program. This series of manuals is a basic how-to text on running a remodeling company. In the last 5 years, Lupberger has sold over 500 copies of his program, helping hundreds of remodelers improve their businesses, increase their profits, and spend more time with their families.

In 2004, Lupberger got to move back to Colorado, where he spent the first 30 years of his life. From his base in Colorado, he now consults with both Remodelers and industry manufacturers such as General Electric to maximize customer service relationships between all the industry partners. He travels extensively, speaking to thousands of remodelers across the country and is a regular on the seminar series at national trade shows. He also serves on the board of directors of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), author of the book, Managing the Emotional Homeowner, and is a columnist for Qualified Remodeler magazine.

Joel Makower

For more than 20 years, Joel Makower has been a well-respected voice on business, the environment, and the bottom line. As a writer, speaker, and strategist on corporate environmental practices, clean technology, and green marketing, he has helped a wide range of companies align environmental responsibility with business success.
A former nationally syndicated columnist, Joel is author or co-author of more than a dozen books, including his latest, Strategies for the Green Economy. Previous books include Beyond the Bottom Line: Putting Social Responsibility to Work for Your Business and the World, about the profit and potential of socially responsible business practices; The E-Factor: The Bottom-Line Approach to Environmentally Responsible Business, on how companies are responding to environmental challenges in positive and profitable ways, and The Green Consumer, a best-selling guide to the environmental marketplace.
Joel is co-founder and executive editor of Greener World Media, Inc., which produces GreenBiz.com and its sister sites, ClimateBiz.com, GreenerBuildings.com, GreenerDesign.com, and GreenerComputing.com. Joel is also the principal author of the annual State of Green Business report and the Greener by Design conference, both produced by Greener World Media.

David G. Nichols, Jr.

David is an attorney practicing in New York City. He has served as general counsel for American Business Media, a trade association of B2B media companies, and has handled corporate and investment transactions since 1985.

Before entering the practice of law, he worked on federal energy policy matters as a staff member in the U.S. Senate and an official of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Doug Parker

Doug Parker is the Sustainability Examiner in the Boulder County Land Use Department implementing the most stringent energy code in the country. Prior to this he was President of Big Horn Builders, an award winning builder who for four decades pioneered developing and building passive solar and very low energy consuming buildings. He was inducted into the Remodeler’s Hall of Fame for his work. He is a co-founder of the Boulder Green Building Guild. His great passion is finding the least-cost low-energy buildings. He is deeply concerned that the perils of climate change are not being recognized or dealt with by our society.

Anna Porter

Anna Porter has more than 15 years of experience in program development and project management. She has done consulting and training for non-profit agencies in the areas of marketing, human resource development and recruitment. In recent years she has brought her expertise to the area of sustainability, developing curriculum and conducting classes, seminars and presentations on green building, marketing and living. She also provides consulting, research and writing services. With husband, Dave, she was the visionary and developer for “Going Green at the Beach,” their personal home and award-winning deep-green demonstration project which has inspired builders, designers, real estate agents, homeowners, and others across the country.

Dave Porter

Dave Porter has been involved in the real estate and mortgage lending for more than 30 years. He has been a marketing and finance expert, trainer and business coach for more than 20 years. He is a nationally recognized speaker, trainer and writer. He has presented and taught for several organizations including the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Most recently he was Senior Vice President for builder business covering 13 states for Countrywide Bank. He holds four designations from the NAHB: MIRM (Member, Institute of Residential Marketing); CGP (Certified Green Professional); CGA (Certified Graduate Associate); and CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist). He specializes in building, marketing and financing best practices and sustainability.

Bill Reed

An internationally recognized proponent and practitioner in sustainability and regeneration Bill is a principal in three firms, the Integrative Design Collaborative, Regenesis, Inc., and Delving Deeper – green building consulting, living system design, and education organizations working to lift building and community planning into full integration and co-evolution with living systems. His work centers on creating the framework for and managing an integrative, whole-systems design process. The objective: to improve the overall quality of the physical, social and spiritual life of our living places and therefore the planet.

Bill is a planning consultant, design process facilitator, and lecturer. He has participated in over 300 presentations and workshops relating to Sustainable and Regenerative Design. He has consulted on over two hundred green design commissions and dozens of LEED projects – achieving many certifications – the majority Gold and Platinum. He is a guest lecturer at Universities from Harvard and MIT to the University of British Columbia. His clients range from New York City Department of Design and Construction, U.S. General Services Administration, Loreto Bay, Baja, Mexico, Sidwell Friends School, US Green Building Council, Genzyme Corporation, Teknion, LLC, the Willow School, various city planning agencies on the East and West coast, and many private development companies in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Virginia (“G”) Winter

Virginia (“G”) Winter is an organization development practitioner and master-level facilitator and trainer. She is the principal of Equinox Consultancy LLC, a nationally certified woman-owned enterprise operating nationwide since 1989 serving private industry, non-profit and public sector clients. Her areas of expertise include: organizational learning and change, team development, board governance, executive coaching, environmental, health and safety management systems, triple bottom line frameworks, stakeholder engagement, process facilitation and strategic planning.
.
Ms. Winter has extensive experience moderating strategic dialogue with senior-level leaders and decision-makers and is skilled at facilitating conversations to engage thought diversity and cross-functional expertise. Ms. Winter has a reputation as a skilled change agent regardless of whether the assignment involves long-range cultural change or short-run group development.